


in cold blood

by uwumeup



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Blood Vines, Brainwashing, Fluff, Hurt No Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, at the beginning at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:14:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28801146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uwumeup/pseuds/uwumeup
Summary: Bad’s chest ached, attempting to lure him back into bed. Cuddling up against his partner, even if that meant hearing the snores even louder in his ears and having the fluff of Skeppy’s hair tickle his nose uncomfortably, was tempting, but he refrained.There were things to do today, anyways.
Relationships: Zak Ahmed & Darryl Noveschosch, Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch
Comments: 13
Kudos: 132





	1. to the pool's bottom where we belong

**Author's Note:**

> in this fic skeppy is back to normal preceding recent lore events!   
> !!also chapter one has been revised since it was first posted :)!!

Bad pushed himself out of bed, letting out a groan. He stretched his arms over his head, hearing a cracking noise as he did so, and blew a few strands of hair out of his face. His wings fluttered behind him, fluffing themselves up, and he allowed them to stretch out as well, just brushing against the wall from their spread. Skeppy was still asleep, flipped onto his stomach with his arms and legs splayed out around him, hair mussed against the white pillows. A fond expression slipped onto Bad’s face as he leaned over the bed to place a kiss on the boy’s cheek, giggling when he let out a loud snore in response.

Usually he wasn’t awake this early, when the orange of the sun was just breaking through the window, making sparks of light glow across the room, dancing across Skeppy’s face in a way that made his heart warm. Even the mobs outside still had yet to burn in the sun, wandering around aimlessly, unaware of what would become of them. Bad’s chest ached, attempting to lure him back into bed. Cuddling up against his partner, even if that meant hearing the snores even louder in his ears and having the fluff of Skeppy’s hair tickle his nose uncomfortably, was tempting, but he refrained. There were things to do today, anyways.

He picked up his glasses off the side table, pulling his bandana along with it and tying it around his neck, then slipping his cloak over his shoulders. Making sure to grab his sword and trident, Bad spared a last glance at Skeppy. He should probably let him know where he was going. In retrospect, he should’ve just mentioned it last night, but by the time they’d made it home the moon had already been far too high in the sky for either of them to think of anything but crawling into bed. A note would have to do for now. 

He scrawled one out quickly on a scrap paper from a book and placed it on the night table, making sure to add a small heart at the end, a detail that he knew Skeppy cherished more than he liked to admit.

When he opened the door, he shielded a hand over his eyes, blocking them from the sunlight that was far too harsh for the time. It was a wonder, really, that the mobs in their front yard hadn't all burned to a crisp yet, but at least it gave Bad something to do. 

He unsheathed his sword, eyes locking on a zombie sauntering around nearby, and got to work.

* * *

The wooden path creaked beneath Bad’s boots as he walked down it, making sure to avoid any of the holes or boards that looked too loose. When Puffy had first arrived she had made sure to patch up any of the holes she saw, human-made or otherwise, but in the time since then it seemed the girl had given up on it. Understandably so, considering it looked as if they had multiplied in the time since Bad had seen the path last night.

He wasn’t used to it being this quiet - usually you could hear the sounds of people shouting as they fought over whatever new conflict they had wrapped themselves into, or the distant explosions of creepers. Now, there was nothing more than his own footsteps nearby. Any other time, Bad would probably cherish it - a breath of silence was a nice contrast to the usual chaos - but today it felt almost lonely. 

It was too early for anyone else to be up, he supposed; Sam, Sapnap, Ant, all of them were probably still fast asleep, and Bad couldn’t blame them. He’d have slept in for at least a few more hours any other day, too. If it was really his choice, he would run back to the mansion and jump back into bed with Skeppy in a heartbeat. Bad was sure Skeppy would appreciate it too, curling against him like a cat seeking warmth, head burying itself into the demon’s chest. The thought almost made him turn heel, but he pushed forward, wandering around the lands in a near-aimless fashion.

It had become quite the mess recently, especially with L’Manberg having been destroyed, leaving a crater where once beautiful land stood. Bad couldn’t quite bring himself to mourn the territory the way others had - he’d never been as close to it as Tubbo or even Puffy had - but the giant hole now decorating the land pulled at him nonetheless. Everything there had been a mark of history, many having been built before most people had even arrived in the lands. At least it wasn’t in the Badlands’ territory, Bad reasoned, their land hadn’t been so unlucky to receive the beating that the rest of the nations’ had.

Besides, the Eggpire had taken it as an opportunity to spruce it up.

He stepped closer to the crater, the toes of his boots barely an inch off the edge as he peered inside. It was deeper than he’d remembered, bedrock coating the entire bottom layer, aside from the vines that had begun growing. Bad could barely see all the way down there, shadows veiling it in an almost mysterious manner. Magma seeped out of the vines at spots, lighting up small areas in the cavern, but not quite enough to chase away the rest of the darkness. The red stood out even in those spots, however; bright against the cracked cobblestone and dirt that they weaved over, almost creating a macrame pattern.

Something ached in his chest, and he let out a soft breath, resisting the urge to jump straight down, to nurse the vines and run his fingers along them. He knotted his fingers in the grass instead, pulling it out and scattering it against the already torn up ground unceremoniously. L’Manburg owed them, really, at least the vines added some nice decoration to the place.

“You’re up early.”

The demon turned, wings puffing up at the surprise as he pushed himself up, away from the crater, “Quackity! What’re you doing over here?”

“Not much,” He replied, tapping a sword against his leg nonchalantly. “Was just gonna go talk to Karl, said he wanted me for something.”

Bad hummed, pausing for a moment before speaking. “Do you need any help with it? Any extra hands?”

Quackity shook his head wordlessly, and Bad frowned. The boy had been standoffish with him ever since he had tried to introduce him to the Egg, ever since the conversation they had not long after. Bad knew he should not have spilled as much as he did, and he had regretted it immensely as soon as he’d gotten close enough to hear Crimson’s voice as more than a whisper again.

“I didn’t take Karl for a morning person,” He tried. “What’re you guys up to so early?”

“Does it matter?”

Bad flinched, tail swishing wearily behind him, “I mean, not  _ really _ , I was just-”

“Then don’t bother asking, I know all you care about is that stupid egg anyways.”

He turned away before Bad could get another word in, a melancholy look still plastered to his face. The demon watched as he retreated into the distance, allowing a bit of the tension that had unknowingly settled in him to disperse. There was still a part of him that wanted to chase after Quackity - to demand answers, perhaps attempt to lure him back to the Egg - but he held himself back. There was no point in pushing it any further than he already, Quackity was clearly on a different path than he was.

Bad turned, eyes catching on blond hair and red sleeves in the distance - yells bubbling out so loudly that it almost hurt his ears. Even in the early hours, Tommy was as rowdy as ever. He swore that the boy ran on an endless supply of energy, most likely fueled by the anger that constantly fumed out of him. Whether it be running around, sparring, or just generally causing a ruckus; no matter the hour, Tommy always seemed to be doing something of the sort. 

Speaking of, the demon watched as Tubbo ran up to join him, pulling out a pair of wooden swords and handing one to Tommy. The blonde grinned, not hesitating before clashing his blade against Tubbo's. He allowed himself to treasure the sight for a moment longer, before turning heel and making his way to Antfrost's house. 

Sooner or later it would have to happen, he reminded himself, they couldn't protect him forever.

* * *

Bad brushed his hands together, red spores dusting off of them and falling to the ground. He doubted they would grow on the stone without a foundation to thrive on, but it wouldn’t matter much anyways. They’d already begun creeping into the hallway, and he was sure the ones that he and the others had planted in the crater would soon spread like a wildfire in the otherwise lifeless environment. A smile pulled at his cheeks as he saw the hints of red, barely noticeable in the dim torchlight.

A lot of people hadn’t noticed them for so long, despite their appearances above ground that had since been destroyed during an episode of confusion that Bad since regretted. L’Manberg had blown up, wars had started and ended and started again, and the egg remained stagnant through it all. Overlooked,  _ neglected _ .

Soon, everyone would see it - they’d have to.

"Hi, Crimson!" He greeted, stepping into the area and admiring the red vines that had weaved across the room, curling possessively around the newly opened passageway.

It was more red than anything, really; Bad was sure that no one would be able to walk in without tripping over the vines, without their eyes being drawn to Crimson and its entanglement. He dragged his hand along one of them as he approached, soft, but not quite malleable under his touch.

"I see that you're already growing more, I'm glad. Soon enough the whole server will be able to see how beautiful you are."

_ ᓭ𝙹𝙹リ... ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ|| ᒲ⚍ᓭℸ ̣ ᔑꖎꖎ ᓭᒷᒷ… _

Bad smiled, "I know. Some people are still warming up to you, and I don’t think Puffy is as enthusiastic as she was before, but she'll turn around eventually. Same with Sam and Sapnap, they just… don't quite understand yet."

_ ⚍リ↸ᒷ∷ᓭℸ ̣ ᔑリ↸... ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ||... ꖌ╎ꖎꖎ... _

"I know, I know, they killed some of your vines before," He pulled off a glove, shoving it in his pocket as he placed a hand on the egg, stroking it slowly. The rough texture burned his skin lightly, but it felt more pleasant than anything. "But they're just confused."

_ リ𝙹... ᒲ⚍ᓭℸ ̣... ʖᒷ ꖌ╎ꖎꖎᒷ↸... _

"No, no, no, I'm not going to kill  _ them _ , they're just learning still. I'm going to talk to them about it, promise."

_ … _

The silence made Bad's chest tighten - Crimson was never this quiet, always whispering something or another, even when he couldn't quite make out the nonsense. There was always the buzz in the back of his mind, a white noise of sorts, but in that moment it stopped. He forced himself to swallow, tongue heavy in mouth, and curled his lips up. “I’ve been as discreet as I can be. I don’t think anyone has figured anything out, if that’s what you’re worried about. I kept up the disguise the entire time, none of them have a clue.”

_ … _

He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, and allowed himself to wonder, just for a second, if that was how so many others felt down here.

"Aren't you hungry? I brought some rotten flesh for you, I know it's your favourite." He cooed, attempting to push back the tremble in his voice.

A beat passed.

_...⊣╎⍊ᒷ... _

The feeling left as quickly as it appeared, and Bad let out a baited breath, digging into his pouch. He pulled out the rotten flesh, holding it out to the creature and widening his smile. Tendrils lifted off the ground, creeping towards him and slowly wrapping around his hand. There was a faint pulse in the vine, a heartbeat of sorts, and he imagined his own heartbeat synchronizing with it. 

Was he imagining it? He couldn’t tell.

The flesh was gone before Bad could savour the feeling anymore, tendril pulling away to set back on the floor again. He followed suit, resting his back against a thicker vine and humming as he danced his fingers along it lightly. “I have to go soon, Skeppy will be worried if I’m home too late. I should already be back, really, but convincing the others took more time than I thought. And the vines in the L'Manberg crater are growing quickly, isn't that awesome?"

_...ᓭꖌᒷ!¡!¡||? _

“Yeah, Skeppy,” A fond smile drifted onto Bad’s face, “I know he isn’t quite the same as when he was-”

The demon paused mid-sentence, mouth running dry. He didn’t know what to say, how to describe it - he didn’t  _ want  _ to.

“When he was  _ part _ of you,” Bad finally spat out, eyes trained on the small cracks of stone on the ground peering out between the vines. His hand stilled for a moment on the one under his hand, before shaking his head, a long sigh falling past his parted lips. “He will be again soon, I’ll bring him back. Skeppy, he…”

He turned back to face the egg, “He’ll understand, I promise.”

⍑ᒷ ᒲ⚍ᓭℸ ̣

Bad’s lips quirked up once more, and he finally pushed himself up, stepping away from the egg, the pull towards it not being loud enough to overpower Skeppy’s voice in the back of his mind. He could already hear the boy whining about how Bad had been gone all day, could almost feel his arms wrapping around his chest, clinging onto him. A vine brushed against his ankle as he reached the exit, throwing a final glance over his shoulder as he made his way home.

Skeppy would love Crimson, Bad knew he would.

And then, Skeppy would love Bad again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is very unpolished, but I wanted to write something quick abt possessed bad n the blood vines bc I rlly like the concept and am very excited to see where they go with it :)  
> second chapter will be out probably in the next couple days
> 
> -
> 
> [twitter: caniivyrne]
> 
> comments and kudos are very much appreciated! <3


	2. sinking like a bleeding stone

Bad was supposed to be home two hours ago.

The sun had already begun to dip its toes over the horizon, sky fading to a red hue that only reminded Skeppy of the fact even further. He hadn’t told Skeppy where he was going, leaving the man only with a hastily torn-out note with a line of scribbles on it to wake up to, explaining that he was going to be gone for the majority of the day, but would be home in time for dinner. His bow sat on the chest near the door, quiver hanging on the hook beside it, so he must not have gone hunting.

Skeppy sat at the window, pretending to be busy with sharpening his sword, but the way that he looked outside every thirty seconds betrayed his true intent. He felt a bit like a puppy waiting for its master to get home, and cringed at the comparison, but his pride failed to outweigh his worry for Bad, so he didn’t move from his spot.

Finally, he set aside the sword, not quite sharpened despite having it in his hands for nearly an hour. He leaned his head against the window, hair splaying against it messily, and let out a sigh, allowing his breath to fog up the glass. If Bad were here, he would probably draw a smiley face in it; Skeppy decided to fill his role by doing it himself, tracing out a wonky-looking smile in the already fading haze.

A figure made its way into view, and Skeppy quickly wiped away the fog on the glass to squint outside, a smile making its way onto his face as he noticed the recognizable black and red cloak. Usually he wouldn’t run outside to meet Bad, waiting until he came in with an excited smile on his face, invisible tail wagging, was embarrassing enough as is - especially when Bad brought surprise company. This time, though, he felt a pull. Something in his chest dragging him outside as if by a chain, tugging on it until he finally relented, allowing himself to push past the front doors and meet eyes with his partner.

“Bad!” He grinned, meeting the boy halfway down the walkway and pulling him into an embrace. Bad seemed to practically melt into it, humming contentedly into Skeppy’s shoulder.

“I missed you.”

Skeppy almost echoed the statement, but paused.

“Wait, no, hold on-” He pushed himself away from Bad, “Where  _ were _ you? I thought you said you would be home for dinner, I haven’t even seen you all day.”

“Aww, were you worried about me?” The demon giggled, tail flicking behind him. At Skeppy’s rolled eyes, he continued. “I was just out.”

“Out? Out  _ where _ ?”

Bad paused, eyes flickering to the side, and Skeppy stilled. If he was keeping it from him, there must be something wrong. As he moved to step forward and press further, Bad beat him to it.

“You know the vines, right?”

Skeppy blinked, “What?”

“The vines,” Bad repeated, smile unwavering. “They’ve started spreading again.”

“Bad,” Skeppy furrowed his brows, “What do you mean? I thought you guys dealt with that egg thing when you encased it in. I mean, sure, it was growing in there, but it couldn’t have gotten out…”

His eyes trailed up to Bad’s – white, blank, empty – and a chill ran down his spine. “Right?”

A laugh spilled out of his mouth, and it made Skeppy’s chest constrict. “Skeppy, you have to understand that wasn’t the egg’s full power. It could have eaten through that obsidian- it  _ was  _ eating through the obsidian, it just wanted to give us the chance to see that. It’s even more powerful than we thought before.”

“Are you under its influence again?” He asked, voice softening. “Are Antfrost and Puffy like this too?”

Bad tilted his head, “Of course not, I feel fine, Skeppy. I just… I feel like I understand now. If we let the egg out, it can help us. The egg can give us  _ everything _ .”

A beat of silence passed, Skeppy’s heart pounding against his ribs, before Bad finally broke it. He reached a hand out, palm up.

“Do you trust me?” Bad asked, and for a moment he looked as lost and innocent as he did before.

_ “Yes,” _ Skeppy almost said, _ “Of course I trust you; I’ve always trusted you.” _

He choked it back, kept his feet cemented where they stood rather than leaping into the man’s arms like he so desperately wanted to do. It would be a spark of comfort, of the warmth that Bad exuded so effortlessly and that made Skeppy feel so at home. But a spark couldn’t start a fire on wet leaves.

“Are you fucking insane?” Skeppy spat instead, a venom that the demon clearly didn’t expect lacing his words. “You think that just if you dangle the idea of this pretty little utopia you imagine in front of me that I’ll just jump into your arms?”

“Language! What’s wrong with you?”

He scoffed, “What’s wrong with  _ me _ ? What’s wrong with  _ you _ ?! You’re power-hungry, you’re not yourself, Bad!”

“I just want what’s best for you, Skeppy, I don’t want you to get hurt. I mean, look at all of this war happening on the server! If we let Crimson out, it’ll distract them, it’ll allow us to stay safe while they’re forced to deal with it.”

“They shouldn’t have to deal with it at all! Just because you’ve gone egg-crazy doesn’t mean that you have to push all of that onto everyone else!”

The demon reached out to hold Skeppy’s cheek gingerly, and he flinched back. Bad did that when helping Skeppy calm down, when they were in their most tender and soft moments. He’d brush his thumb lightly under Skeppy’s eye, wiping away any stray tears that he allowed to fall, whispering hushed words that would never leave the room. He had never allowed anyone else to do it, never would allow anyone else to do it – much less this parasite using Bad’s body as a skin coat.

“Get the hell away from me,” He unsheathed his sword, allowing the small breaks of the sun setting behind the clouds to gleam against it. “I want to talk to Bad, the  _ real _ Bad.”

“Skeppy, what do you-”

“I told you not to fucking touch me!” He yelled, blade an inch away from pressing against the demon’s neck, just barely cutting into the bandana wrapped around it.

“I don’t understand - you loved the egg before, what changed? Don’t you care about me?”

“That’s why I’m turning down your ‘invitation!’ Because I care about you, and this  _ thing _ is clearly just using you to- to-” He groans, unable to finish the sentence. “I just got him back – I just got  _ myself  _ back, I don’t want to lose it all again!” 

Tears blurred his vision, and he lowered the blade to harshly wipe them away, soft hoodie sleeves catching on the diamonds poking out of his cheek. He looked back to Bad, gaze icy, and Bad’s eyes flashed with an emotion that Skeppy couldn’t place. (Anger?  _ Heartache _ ? He didn’t have the time to figure it out.) The demon stepped forward hesitantly, as if approaching a rabid dog, before pulling Skeppy into his chest tightly.

“I understand, Skeppy,” Bad whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Skeppy finally allows himself to lean into the embrace, arms still frozen at his sides. The fabric of Bad’s cloak is soft, his hair grazes against Skeppy’s skin in a borderline ticklish way, and it’s all so, so familiar. And yet the grip is tighter than usual, claws poking into his shoulders in a way that almost seems threatening. It almost makes him sob harder, but he holds it back.

The grip finally loosens, and white eyes study him for a moment, before Bad leans in once more. “When you change your mind, I’ll be here; the _egg_ will be here.”

He pulls away from Skeppy, pulling any semblance of warmth he had along with him, standing up with a long breath. Skeppy could hear the footsteps retreating towards the house, the sun following it as it finally disappeared over the horizon, leaving the sky a dark blue, but he didn’t look up. If he did, he knew he would break, tears that he couldn’t quite keep back trailing down his cheeks and dripping onto the stone bricks below him. The wind brushed through his hair, and if he squeezed his eyes tight enough, he could imagine that it was Bad’s own fingers combing through it.

He felt so, so cold.

**Author's Note:**

> bloodvines fic bc even though I hate angst, this arc has been feeding me qwq  
> work + chapter titles come from the song In Cold Blood by Alt-J! not necessarily related to the fic, but I figured they fit :]
> 
> -
> 
> [twitter: caniivyrne]
> 
> comments and kudos are very much appreciated! <3


End file.
